This reader felt like a rubbernecker at a fatal accident while reading this book. You try not to look, (or in this case, turn the page) but the horror compels you to.
The story involves the Mansbury Massacre in 1989, which was the murder of six young women who were discovered in an auditorium on a college campus. Paul Riley returns to this novel as a young prosecutor. All of the evidence points to one man, Terry Burgas, who modeled each murder after song lyrics. When Paul sat in on Terry’s execution, Terry looked Paul directly in the eye and mouthed the words, “I’m not the only one.”
Sixteen years later, the second verse of the song begins to play out in the form of more murders. Paul Riley is drawn into the case by anonymous letters and he begins a race against time to stop the murders.
The murderer targets the love of Paul’s life, Shelly. Can Paul fit the remaining pieces into the puzzle in time to save her? I pride myself in being an above average puzzle solver and I managed to piece most of it together, but once again David Ellis held back a few pieces that surprised me at the end. The twists and turns of the plot held me captivated until the end of the story.
I highly recommend this book to adults with a strong stomach and not to anyone faint of heart. The gory details are quite graphic and leave little to the imagination. David Ellis is a genius and weaves amazing stories.
Susie Hamilton